The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has blocked more than 8.8 million SIM cards as part of government efforts to curb cybercrime, protect personal security, and maintain law and order. Another 100,000 SIMs remain suspended due to ongoing legal cases.
The government decided last year to limit the number of SIMs per customer after a rise in cybercrime and security concerns. Beginning in November, customers holding more than 10 SIMs had excess cards blocked under instructions from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The ministry plans to further reduce the limit to five SIMs per subscriber from January, but implementation has been postponed until after the 13th parliamentary elections due to public dissatisfaction.
Brigadier General SM Moniruzzaman, Director General of the Telecommunication Corporation’s Systems and Services Department, said, “Our instructions were to reduce SIM cards to 10 per subscriber. We identified 8.9 million excess SIMs, of which over 8.8 million have been closed. About 100,000 SIMs remain suspended due to ongoing cases, including VIPs, but they will also be closed soon. The ministry intends to reduce SIMs to five per subscriber, but this will be implemented after the elections because the number of users with 6–10 SIMs is very high.”
The SIM reduction has impacted mobile subscribers and internet usage. Since the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) and the closure of excess SIMs, mobile subscribers have decreased by over 1.8 million, and mobile internet users have declined by 62.6 million over six months.
BTRC data show that in July 2024, there were 194.2 million mobile subscribers across four operators. By July 2025, the number fell to 188.7 million, and as of November 25, it stood at 187 million. While broadband users have increased to 14.6 million from 13.5 million during the same period, mobile internet users dropped to 115.2 million from 121.5 million last July. Analysts attribute the decline to stricter regulations, SIM reduction policies, rising mobile internet costs, and increased broadband adoption.
IT expert Sumon Ahmed Sabir noted, “The decline in mobile users is driven by the reduction in SIM cards and a shift to broadband usage. This affects both mobile subscription and mobile internet numbers.”
Brigadier General Moniruzzaman added, “Reducing SIMs to 10 per subscriber is manageable, but lowering it to five could significantly affect the market, revenue, and related sectors.”
Courtesy: Bonik Barta
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
